Quartz mill



2m 5 Q m m MN ma 5 ATTORNEYS E. J. NIXON QUARTZ MILL Filed June 28, 1940 Dec. 9, 1941.

Patented Dec. 9, 19 41 UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE omm'rz MILL Edward J. Nixon, Westpoint, Calif. Application June 28,1940, Serial No. 342,995

3 Claims.

' the quartz.

A further object o! the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one I which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

' These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure l is a side elevation; partly in section, of

. my improved quartz mill.

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on line 2-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the apparatus comprises a mortar l which is of troughlike form; such trough-like mortar being relatively narrow between the side walls thereof, and

of substantial length and depth. The mortar may be made of cast iron, as shown, or sheet metal supported by a suitable frame; the mortar 1 having a suitable supporting base 2.

The bottom of the mortar I is lined with a flat grinding plate 3 of steel which is co-extensive with said bottom 01 the mortar. A'heavy weight muller 4, of cast iron or the like, is'disposed in the trough-like mortar and is or a width such that it engages in the mortar with an easy running lit, and is of a length approximating onehalf the length of the mortar. At its bottom edge the muller 4 is fitted with a flat wearing shoe 5 of steel which" enga es and rides upon the grinding plate I.

At one end the mortar I is provided with a vertical slot i cut downward in said end for a substantial distance from the upper edge thereof. A heavy duty connecting rod fl extends through said slot and at the 'end within the mortar is pivoted on the muller at its near end'and adjacent the upper edge thereof, as shown at l. The other end of connecting rod 1 is joumaled or pivoted at 9 on a crank wheel Ill. The crank wheel is mounted on a transverse horizontal shaft II which is'suitably journaled on a supporting block B; such shaft II being driven at relatively low speed by means of a large diameter pulley I2 fixed on shaft II and driven from a power source, such as an electric motor I3, by an endless belt I4. Rotation of crank wheel 00 thus causes rod 'l and the attachedmuller to reciprocate in the mortar.

A roller I5 having its axis disposed transverse- 1y of the mortar I is mounted on said mortar at the lower end of slot 6 and below connecting rod I. The roller I5 is disposed in a vertical plane relative to connecting rod pivots 8 and Ssuch that as pivotpoint 9 approaches the lowermost point in its stroke, connecting rod 1 engages with roller I5. Thereafter, with continued downward movement of pivot 9, roller I5 serves as a tulcrum and connecting rod I then acts as a walking beam, raising at its pivot point 8 and causing the muller 4 and steel wearing shoe 5 at their adjacent end to be raised away from grinding plate 3 a certain distance. Of course, the opposite or remote end of shoe 5 always remains in engagement with plate 3. It will therefore be seen that in addition to the reciprocation of the muller there is a recurring raising and lowering of one end of muller 4 so that shoe Sis alternately angled relative to plate 3.

At the end opposite slot 6 the mortar I is open downwardly from its upper edge to a point somewhat above the lower end of said slot; there being a mill screen I6 fitted in said open end portion of the mortar. The end of the mortar immediately below said screen is provided with an outwardly and longitudinally extending lip or spillway I! which is arranged to discharge into the upper end of an amalgam plate unit, shown diagammatically at I8.

In operation water is supplied 'to the mortar by a valved supply pipe It, the water level in the mortar being indicated at 20. Fragmented quartz is introduced into the mortar! by means of a hopper 2|, which may be disposed at any.

suitable point inthe length of said mortar.v Upon the mortar being filled with water up to the level of the spillway and fragmented quartz being introduced :into said mortar, the muller 4, as it recurringly raises and lowers at one end while itreciprocates, effects a vertical crushing action on the quartz which falls thereunder, and at the same time produces the longitudinal grinding action on the crushed quartz. I i

- The grinding plate 3 may be disposed at a slight downward angle toward the discharge end of the mortar, so that a quantity of mercury may be disposed in said end of "the mortar for initial amalgamation of gold freed from the quartz.

' 2,265,541 v r g driven crank on which the other end of the rod ispivoted, the crank being disposed to actuate the rod in a direction to reciprocate the muller,

- and a fulcrum element mounted on said end of Other free gold will flow with the pulverized substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device,

- still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a quartz mill, 9. trough-like mortar, a muller disposed in the mortar for reciprocating motion, said muller being free for vertical movelike mortar adapted to receive a quantity of ore 'and water therein, the sides of the mortar exment relative to the mortar, a connecting rod pivoted at one end on the muller, the rod propecting therefrom over one end of the mortar, a

the mortar for engagement by the rod intermediate its ends as the crank pivot approaches its lowermost point.

2. A device as in claim 1 in which said fulcrum element comprises a roller.

3."An ore reductionmill comprising a troughtending some distance above its ends, a spillway formed at the upper edge of one end of the mortar, a heavy weight muller disposed in the mortar and extending upward to a termination at the topbetween said extended sides of the mortar, said muller being free for vertical movement relative to the mortar, a-rod pivotally connecting at one end with the muller above the horizontal plane of the spillway and projecting therefrom over the other end of the mortar, a driven crank on which the other end of the rod is pivoted, and a fulcrum element mounted on the upper edge of saidother end of themortar, the rod, intermediate its ends, engaging said element as the crank pivot approaches its lowermost point.

' EDWARD J. NIXON. 

